We have company-wide safety principles, the Heemskerk Storages B.V. fundamentals. Care for safety, health and the environment is built into both our Code of Conduct and our Supplier Code. We provide rigorous safety training to those working at Heemskerk Storages B.V. locations. Heemskerk Storages B.V.’s safety fundamentals include guidelines on transferring products, on permits, motorized vehicles, ‘lock-out, tag-out’, managing change and working in confined spaces and at heights, a common cause of accidents in the industry. As a minimum, we comply with laws and regulations. We systematically discuss and report work-related injuries, fatalities and illnesses, as well as safety incidents like spills and fires. We are currently rolling out our Trust & Verify program. The aim of this program is to improve our overall Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) performance, to further increase awareness of safety issues, and to encourage a culture of personal accountability throughout the company.
We are also bringing in more technology. Technology helps us identify risks sooner, often in ‘real time’. This gives us the opportunity to intervene early and prevent incidents before they happen; it also allows us to work more remotely,
and reduce the number of employees and contractors potentially at risk. All incidents – no matter how small – are reported, as are all near-misses. Reports are made directly in Enablon, our incident reporting system. Alerts are sent out following incidents, and every quarter management discusses safety performance and ‘lessons learned’.
We work to minimize damage to the environment through harmful emissions, for example, or accidental spills. We have a clear responsibility, in this respect, to the communities in which we operate. Heemskerk Storages B.V. has a robust environmental management process. We use API RP 754 –the American Petroleum Institute’s recommended practice for the refinery and petrochemical industries.
Our Environmental Management System is included in Heemskerk Storages B.V.’s internal standards (as part of our Environmental Impact Assessment and Soil & Groundwater Management). As with safety, we go often beyond legal compliance. We have put in place a program of improvements at our terminals – to further reduce emissions of VOCs (volatile organic compounds). VOCs can cause air pollution – and may pose a health risk, which is why we assess not only the emissions themselves, but also their overall ‘social impact’ – which we aim to reduce by at least 20%. Our direct carbon footprint is relatively small and we work to make it even smaller towards our ambition to be climate neutral by 2050. Even so, as a responsible corporate citizen, we also work to reduce our CO2 emissions.
Worldwide, we are responsible for approximately 1,500 hectares of land. So, it is important that we avoid spills that may contaminate local soil, groundwater, or the sea. Our aim is to have no uncontained spills. As part of our standards, we require our terminals to have ‘secondary containment’, often additional barriers or walls where there is risk of a spill – in tank pits, for example, pumps or loading stations. This ‘secondary containment’ helps prevent spills seeping into the nearby environment. As a result, spills that do occur are contained and cleaned up as quickly as possible.
With regard to biodiversity, Heemskerk Storages B.V.’s impact assessments cover not only air quality and possible contaminations, but also emissions of light (which can have an effect on bird behavior and migration), as well as noise and possible risks to archaeological sites. Hazardous waste is regulated through our Waste Management standard; this applies to all entities.
Given the nature of our business, there’s always the possibility of a safety incident. Our Terminal Health Assessment (THA) and Assure program focus on major accident prevention. Terminals are regularly audited to make sure they meet the standards. Our assets – tanks, pipelines, pumps and jetties – are regularly maintained. We have a rolling three-year maintenance program. All assets are properly designed, with safety paramount. This is not just about assets and compliance, however. The program also helps us ensure we have employees with the right skills to maintain and operate our terminals safely. Also that our policies, processes and systems support an effective safety-first culture. Heemskerk Storages B.V.’s terminals are equipped and tested annually on their emergency and crisis response. At our terminals, a typical Emergency Response Plan (ERP) includes different scenarios, as well as recommended responses and escalation procedures. Local authorities are also involved closely in drawing up these ERPs.